Huntsville gazette., 1887-03-12
NUMBER Is.
BURMAH'S PEOPLES.
interesting Data Concerning their Origin.
Habits and Customs.

interesting Data Concerning their Origin.
Habits and Customs.
Mr.. j. A. Bryce gives the proceedings
of the Royal Geographical Society an
interesting account of the country and
peoples of Burmah. The various
peoples who inhabit the last additionto TO
the British Empire appear to be all OF
Mongolian affinities, but they differ
from each other as widely us do the
races of Indo-European stocN. Out OF
the total population, which fnay be
placed at seven millions and quarter.
the true Burmese are about one-half.
the rest belonging to the races known
as Karens. Kakhyens, Khyens, Shans
and Talaing. The whole of these races
have, in common with the remainder
of the peoples who are not dominant in
in Indo-China, descended at various
periods either from China or from
Tibet, and may be considered for the
nso,t part as more or less Sinicised abo-
riglnal peoples who have fed south
ward to escape the political power OF
China. No two authorities seem to
agree respecting the relative dates at
which all these various peoples entered
the peninsula. The Talaing was cer-
tainly in possession of Pegu and Ar
racan before the Burrnan, and the Tai
aing race still forms the bulk of the
population in the delta of the Irrawadi
and the Sittang. The Talaingis usually
considered to be related to the Kolarian
Of Hindustan. In person he is smaller,
plnmper, fairer and less Manufactured
than his Burmese conquerors.
Less seems to be known about tae
Karens than the Talaing, but Lacou-
perie believes that thay were dominant
in Indo-China previous to the irrup-
ton of the various races of Shans. Mr..
Bryce believes that in Burmah they
post-date the Tibetans. There are at the
present time two very different races
within Burmese territory who bear the
name of Karens. One OF these is the
Karennees or Red Karens, so-called
from the color of their breeches-a
tribe of untamable head-hunters, own.
ing allegiance to no one; and the white
Karens, quiet and inoffensive race in
habiting some districts of Lower Bur-
nah, especially the mountains Of Ten
asserim.
The Burmese proper are among the
oldest people of the country. Over
whelmed by the Shans they after awhile
arose again, and imposed their yoke
upon their former masters. AS race
they have shown great vitality; while
ts individuals, though habitually indo-
lent, they are capable of great displays
of energy when sufficiently aroused.
rhe Burman is the Partisan of Asia.
None can excel him in all the graces of
3oliteness. The good -humored, hard
working but less courteous Shan ap-
oears to him savage. In stature the
burmese are inferior to the Shan,
hough taller than the Talaing. The
great Shan race, though less numerous
4 Burmah than the Burmese them
slves, is now preponderant in the
,eninsIla. The Siamese are Shan, as are
he peoples to the north of them,
whether paying tribute to China, Bur-
nah. AMMAN or Siam. Some defect in
ne Shan character seems to prevent
heir agglomeration into large masses,
nd thus it has come to pass that most
# their Princes are tributary, though it
an not be disputed that the northern
ihans of Burlnah and the Laos States
re the most energetic peoples of the
leninsula.
The Kakhyens are rude people,
When compared with the Shans or the
burmese. They inhabt the hilly dis
ricts Of Assam and northwestern Bur
nah. and have recently, owing to the
weakness of the Burmese power, en-
reached toward the south. In Assam
hey are known as Singphos. The
ihyens are settled in the mountains
,etween Burnah and Bengal. The
'urmese proper are chiefly settled in
he upper part of the Irrawadi delta,
Il narrow belt on each side of the
rrawadi in Upper Burmah, the upper
valley of the Sittang, and the Moo val
icy, between the Irrawadi and its tribu.
tary, the hyenuWln.
The total area of Burmah is about
100000 square miles, and is thus nearly
equal to the State of Texas. The
greater part of this area is uncultivated
mountain and forest, and Mr.. Bryce
states that not above one-seventh even
# Lower Burmah is cultivated The
lower part of the combined deltas OF
The lrrawadi and the Sittang receive
me hundred inches of rain annually,
,ut this is diminished one-half at the
apex of the delta, and the plain of the
Upper Irrawadi is deficient in rainfall,
md depends for its water supply upon
the river.-N. Y. independent